Heat wave causes hundreds of residents to flee their homes in western Canada
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes overnight Wednesday Thursday in western Canada due to the fires adding to the unprecedented heat wave.
Homes were evacuated Wednesday evening in the Canadian village of Leighton, about 250 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, which jumped to the fore due to this week's record national temperature with a temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius, due to a fire that spread quickly.
"A fire that broke out in the village is currently threatening the infrastructure and the safety of the residents of the municipality," said the president of the two countries, Jan Bollermann, in a statement signed Wednesday.
British Columbia Premier John Horan commented on Twitter: "The fire situation is very dangerous at this time. Emergency teams are doing everything they can to support the people of Leighton."
According to the local government map, the fires broke out, especially in the north of the city of Kamloops.
The eviction order was expanded overnight Wednesday to Thursday to include residents of about 100 homes in North Leighton.
Environment Canada said in a bulletin issued early Thursday morning for the Prince George area in British Columbia that record temperatures will continue for the next two days.
"The duration of this heat wave is worrying because the heat does not subside during the night due to high night temperatures," she added.
Thursday, the heat wave continued to expand to the east, in central Canada.
In addition to British Columbia, heat wave warnings were issued in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as in a portion of the country's northwest and northern Ontario.
In addition to the Canadian west, the heat wave included Washington and Oregon in the United States this week, where record temperatures and hundreds of sudden deaths were recorded.
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